The holiday season officially arrives next week, and the calendar is packed with ways to mark it with purpose and warmth: Veterans Day ceremonies on both sides of the state line, the region's biggest drive-through light show switching on, and a lineup of holiday markets from Valparaiso to New Lenox. I went back through the village pages, city calendars and venue sites this week and verified everything below, so you can plan with confidence. As always, give each host a quick check before you head out, since dates and hours can shift.
A quick archive note
Halloween night delivered on Saturday with town-by-town trick-or-treating, from Orland Park's 2 to 8 p.m. window and New Lenox's 3 to 8 p.m. hours to Crown Point and Munster's 5 to 7 p.m. evenings, and the November 7 and 8 craft-show marathon, from Tinley Park's annual show to Schererville's longest-running holiday fair, came and went beautifully. If you missed any of them, the good news is that the season's biggest traditions are still ahead.
Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day, town by town
Orland Park holds its Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Civic Center, the village's official observance for those who served. Crown Point hosts its ceremony from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the east steps of the Historic Lake County Courthouse at 1 Courthouse Square, led by the City of Crown Point and American Legion Post 20, and it moves to the courthouse rotunda if the weather turns. Across the line in Lake County, Munster's Community Veterans Memorial at 9710 Calumet Avenue traditionally hosts an observance with VFW Post 2697 and American Legion Post 16, and the memorial honors our veterans year-round, so even a quiet visit is a meaningful one.
On the Illinois side, Frankfort's village special-events page does not list a Veterans Day gathering this year, yet recent years have seen observances at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, so check with your local VFW post or the village for the final word.
Friday, November 13: the lights switch on
Orland Park opens the World of Illumination's Cosmic Sleighride drive-through light show on Friday, November 13 at Orland Square Mall (288 Orland Square Drive), running most nights from 6 to 10 p.m. through January 3. It is billed as the world's largest animated drive-through light show, millions of lights synced to music broadcast on your car radio, one ticket per car and no leaving the vehicle: a full holiday tour from the warmth of your car, which makes it perfect for any weather. If you have kids, or you are a kid at heart, this is the one to circle.
Saturday, November 14: holiday markets and owls
Valparaiso stacks three ways to spend the day. The 3 Little Birds Holiday Market runs Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Porter County Expo Center (215 East Division Road), with handmade and upcycled gifts from local small businesses, live music, food and drinks, and a $5 admission with kids under 13 free. The same building hosts the Annual Festival of Owls on Saturday from Humane Indiana Wildlife, with owl meet-and-greets, kid activities and a vendor marketplace, a rare chance to see these beautiful birds up close. And over at the Wheeler High School Fieldhouse, a craft market brings roughly 120 exhibitors together for a full day of holiday shopping.
On the Illinois side, New Lenox holds Christmas At the Field from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Francis Field Youth Foundation, a free holiday market with handmade gifts and artisan vendors, and the Farm2Veteran Chili Cook-Off fires up at noon at 14414 Ford Drive, a warm way to cap a Veterans Day week. Farther north, the Northwest Indiana Fall Craft and Vendor Market sets up at Southlake Mall in Merrillville starting at 10 a.m., and Crown Point runs its Holiday Gun and Knife Show at the Lake County Fairgrounds both Saturday and Sunday, with commercial and craft vendor booths.
Looking further ahead, already verified
Tinley Park lights its village tree Friday, November 20, and its Holiday Market and Parade of Lights return December 5 and 6. Orland Park's Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting and Festival lands Saturday, November 28, with the parade stepping off at 5 p.m. Mokena's Parade of Lights has traditionally fallen in late November, and the village page is the place to watch for the 2026 date. I will have the full December lineup verified in the posts ahead.
Make the most of the week
A Veterans Day ceremony, a drive-through light show, an owl festival, a chili cook-off: this is the week the season turns, and it is a beautiful time to feel these communities at their best. And if you are weighing a move, this is exactly the right stretch to come visit and test the fit. Walk the courthouse square in Crown Point, wander a holiday market in Valparaiso, watch the parking lots fill at Orland Square. That is when a town stops being a listing and starts feeling like home. When you are ready, I would love to be in your corner. You Can With Joanne!™